Ohioans Miss May I have been churning out an album a year almost since they debuted in 2009 with "Apologies Are For The Weak". With last year's "Rise of the Lion", you'd have thought the boys would have taken some time off to tour and promote that killer album. But keeping with their M.O. "Deathless" was released in August 2015. This album picks up right where "ROTL" left off. Full of aggressive, angry riffing and some of lead singer Levi Benton's best vocals yet, "Deathless" is another quality release from Miss May I. The opening track and first single, "I.H.E.", is a great mix of aggression and emotion with Benton's screams being partnered with bassist Ryan Neff's soft yet powerful clean vocals. The intro riff really lulls you to sleep before the song really kicks in and delivers a devastating body blow. The breakdown in this song is so thunderous that even Thor found himself impressed with it. "Trust My Heart (Never Hope to Die)" is up next and continues the heaviness and the pattern of Benton's aggressive vocals being countered by Neff's sonorous singing. "Psychotic Romantic" is a very melodic, heavy track that has a definite NWOAHM feel to it. The rest of the album tends to follow the same sort of structure and while many people will find this boring, repetitive and somewhat tried, the band continues to crank out quality material at a rapid rate. And while some of it may retain the same styles, you can't deny the fact that it's solid stuff. The production quality of the album is sharp with the right amount of emphasis placed on the overall mix and the instrumentation. "Deathless" is yet another album by Miss May I that provides the listener with a quality album full of tunes that are well thought out and executed to a T.

About this Writer:Greg Watson // Greg Watson has been hooked on the loud and heavy sounds since the summer of 1994 when he first heard the opening notes of "Operation: Mindcrime" by Queensryche. Since then his tastes have expanded and grown like the ever evolving heavy metal tree of genres. He has been an active member of Maximum Metal off and on for 10 years. In his spare time, Greg enjoys deciding the fate of his loyal subjects in the realm of Skyrim and secretly playing air keyboard to "Separate Ways" by Journey when no one is watching. He currently resides in Roanoke, VA with his wife and his metal wannabe beagle.

Maximum Metal Rating Legend - Click for Full Details

5

Excellent - Buy it and say a prayer to the metal gods
that you were tuned on to this masterpiece. A classic.

4-4.5

Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a
clunker or a lacking somewhere to keep it from perfection. You won't feel bad about
dropping some bones on these.

3.5

Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some
filler. This is the OK range where you'd search for the record on sale or used.

3

Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a
half/half ratio. Could show skills but be dull overall. Redeeming qualities for indy bands
are effort and passion. Majors that don't try or suck outright end up here.

2-2.5

Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors.
There is much better metal out there.

1-1.5

Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.

0

Terrible or an otherwise waste of your life and time.

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